Folding seat.



'No. 755,183. PATENTED MAILZZ, 1904.. w. H. & H. J. SPANJER.

FOLDING SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11 1903.

' -ATTORNEY.

Patented March 22 1904.

WILLIAM H. SPANJER AND HENRY J. SPANJER, or NEWARK, NEW

JERSEY.

YFOLDING SE'AT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,183, dated March 22, 1904. Application filed September 11, 1903. Serial No. 172,735. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. SPANJER' and HENRY J ."SPANJER, both of Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Seats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a seat in whichthe side pieces and the back are ad'apted'to col. lapse and fold down upon the seat portion, thus making a seat that can be folded up handily and quickly and placed out of the way when not in use. We also have devised a front piece that can be inserted as a brace for the side pieces and also act as a tray or shelf, if desired.

Our seat is particularly adapted for childrens use, and is adapted to be used as a water-closet seat.

A further object of our inventionis to provide the bottom of the device with adjustable means for fitting over a receptacle, such as a closet-bowl, and prevent any side motion or slipping of the seat.

.Another object of our invention is to provide a simple means for quickly securing the parts in their normal positions.

- The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of our improved. seat ready to be placed in position on a receptacle. Fig. 2 is a view of the seat in its folded position. Fig. 3 is a bottom view. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line5 5 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6 6 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the fastening means of the tray or shelf that extends across the front, connecting the side pieces of the seat.

Our seat consists of a seat portion 10, that can be made solid or, as shown in the drawings, provided with the opening 11. Secured to the back of the seat portion 10 is an upright strip 12, and hinged thereto by means of the hinges 13 is a back 14. Side pieces 15 are hinged, as at 16, to either side of the seat portion and are arranged to fold inwardly or toward one another. When these side side of the back is arranged a plate 17, (see Figs. 1, 4, and 5,) that is adapted to receive a plate 17 a on the side pieces 15'between itself and the back 14. On the opposed side the plate 17 is adapted to have a detent to receive the head 18 of a bolt 19, this bolt being normally-projected outward by a spring 20 in a barrel 21 in the side pieces. Itwill thus be seen that when the seat is arranged as shown in Fig. 1 the head of the bolt 19 enters the detent in the plate 17, and when the side pieces are being folded inward the head of the bolt bears against the plate 17 and does not come in contact with the surface of the back 14 to mark it or to cause any friction during the' folding. This device will securely hold .the

side pieces in their upright position; but as a.

protection and as a further support we may use, as shown in Fig. 1,-a tray or shelf 22,v that slides in grooves 23 out on the innerside of the side pieces 15. Anailorpin 24 can be driven down through into the groove to form a securing means for a catch on. the shelf. This is more particularly shown in. Fig. 7, where the shelf 22 has a latch-piece 25, pivoted. at 26 into a short slot 27 and having a nose-piece 28. When the shelf is forced into the slot in the side piece, the latch will spring back and then be forced in contact with the brad 24 by means of the spring 29, as will be evident- When it is desired to take out the shelf or tray, the latches may be grasped and forced toward one another and the shelf withdrawn, At its insertion it looks itself.

When the shelf has been removed, it can be arranged in suitable cleats or strips 37 on the back 14, as in Fig. 2; but this shelf or tray can be entirely dispensed with, if desired. It may-be held in place by a spring 38. (Shown in Fig. 7.)

On the bottom of the seat portion 10 we ar- This will. be seen more especially from Fig. 2. To each range a plurality of slotted plates 30; but we preferably use four, as shown in Fig. 3. Each of these slotted plates has a knob 32 in sliding relation thereon and a screw 33, with the square portions 34 and 35 extending through the slot 31 in the plate 30, and when the knob is turned on the thread of the screw it is locked in its position, the squared portions preventing the turning of the screw. A cut-away portion 36 under each plate allows for the travel of the square head 35. When it is desired to place the seat on a receptacle to which it has been fitted, each knob can be slightly loosened and approximately placed at a position to fit the receptacle. When the seat is placed over the edges of the receptacle aforesaid, the edges come in contact with the knobs and force them apart sufficiently to allow their passing over the outside. The knobs can then each be turned up and are held in their positions. These knobs can be slightly tapered, and when the seat is set down over a bowl or similar article these knobs will guide it to a certain extent to its place. It will'be understood that these knobs can be made to engage the inside or outside of the upper edge of the bowl; but they are preferably placed on the outside, and they prevent any lateral slipping or displacement of the seat.

It will thus be seen that we have devised a folding seat that is adapted to be quickly folded or extended and one that can be easily adjusted to fit the different sizes of receptacles, the adjustable feature acting when adjusted as a means for preventing the lateral displacement of the seat.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A folding seat, comprising a seat portion, side pieces adapted to be folded down upon the seat portion, a back adapted to fold down over the side pieces, and adjusting means on the bottom of the seat portion adapted to fit differentsized receptacles and when fitted to prevent lateral displacement of the seat.

2. A folding seat, comprising a seat portion, side pieces hinged to the seat portion and adapted to be folded down thereon, a back hinged to the seat portion and adapted to fold down over the side pieces, means on the back and side pieces to engage one another and secure the side pieces in their extended position, a shelf or tray, means on the side pieces for receiving the shelf, means for locking the shelf to the side pieces, and means on the bottom of the seat portions for adjusting the seat to different-sized receptacles, said adjusting means preventing the lateral displacement on the receptacle when adjusted.

3. A folding seat, comprising a seat portion, folding side pieces,a back adapted to fold down on the side pieces, a series of knobs on the bottom of the seat portion arranged in sliding relation thereto, and means for securing the knobs at predetermined points to provide adjustment of the knobs toward and from one another, and means for locking the knobs in their adjusted positions.

4. A folding seat, comprising a seat portion having an opening therein, hinged side pieces adapted to fold toward one another onto the seat portion, a back arranged to fold down over the side pieces, latches on the ends of the side pieces arranged to engage with holding means on the sides of the back to lock the side pieces in their extended positions, a shelf or tray, means for securing the shelf to the side pieces, knobs arranged at the bottoms of the seat portion and arranged to slide thereon, and means for locking the knobs in their adjusted positions.

5. An article of the kind described, comprising a seat portion, an adjusting means on the bottom of the seat portion moving to fit different-sized receptacles, and when fitted, acting to prevent lateral movement of the seat portion;

6. An article of the kind described, comprising a seat portion, members arranged to slide on the bottom thereof, and means for securing the sliding members, said members being adapted to fit over different-sized receptacles and prevent any side motion of the seat portion when placed on the receptacle.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. SPANJ ER. HENRY J. SPANJ ER.

Witnesses:

WM. H. CAMFIELD, HALSEY A. BAIRD. 

